Package



Dec. 28, 1943. A. CLEMENTE PACKAGE Filed March 27, 1941 Enventor e V 5 n e Agostm 0 CL e m Gttorncg I Q M! m s R? Patented Dec. 28, 1943 2,337,741 PACKAGE Agostino Clemente, Philadelphia,

to John D. Conti, Philadelphia, Pa.,

one-fourth Pa., assignor of one-fourth to Emil M. Farris, Wayne, Pa., and

one-fourth to Morris Application March 1 Claim.

This invention relates to packages, and more particularly to the wrappers thereof, the invention being especially useful in connection with the wrapping of such articles as cigars, food products, and the like having a moisture content in the fresh state.

Many such articles have for some time past been presented to the market wrapped in regenerated cellulose sheeting available under the trade names Cellophane and Sylphrap, depending on the source of supply. I'his wrapping material, which has a distinct grain, is available in various grades and according to several classifications one of which relates to its moisture proof qualities. The moisture proof brands, such as Du Ponts MST Cellophane, or Sylvanias MP Standard Sylphrap, are designed to retain the articles wrapped therein in their original fresh state and may be sealed tightly by the application of heat and pressure to prevent escape of moisture. The seals so formed are very strong and quite difficult to break. On the other hand, such wrapping materials as Sylvanias Plain Transparent are sealed with the aid of an adhesive and their seals offer comparatively little resistance to breaking. The latter materials are not, however, very moisture proof and therefore unsuitable for wrapping articles in which the moisture content is to be preserved in order to retain freshness.

In the case of cigars, for example, where retention of moisture is essential, it has been found that the moisture proof wrappers of high sealing qualities offer such difficulty to breaking of the seal that smokers oiten injure the tobacco wrappers encasing the fillers in attempting to remove the regenerated cellulose or similar wrapping material, thus ruining the cigars, to say nothing of trying the smokers patience. this reason, cigar manufacturers have found it necessary to use the relatively non-moisture proof wrapping sheets as the lesser of two evils, although knowing that unless the cigars are smoked within a reasonably short time, they will dry out.

In wrap-ping cigars, the cellulosic wrapping sheet or strip is fed from a roll and is arranged with its grain running longitudinally along the cigar. This has been found desirable because, when the wrapper is arranged with its grain extending across the cigar, it has a tendency to ripple and thus spoil the appearance of the package, giving the impression that the cigar is old and not fresh. Now, these regenerated cellulose sheet 7 materials possess comparatively great A. Rabkin, 2'7, 1941, Serial No. 385,416

Camden, N. J.

tensile strength ordinarily, but once a tear is started therein, they tear with extreme ease. However, these materials have a great tendency to tear along converging paths when an attempt is made to tear out a portion intermediate the ends of the strip, and this is particularly true across the grain of the material.

To facilitate tearing open such materials, various proposals have been made. For example, it has been proposed to provide a rip strip under the wrapper with a protruding end which may be grasped between the fingers and pulled away from the wrapper, as shown in the U. S. patents to Lindsey, 2,008,361, and Prindle, 2,141,252. Another proposal has been to form a pleat in the wrapping sheet, as shown in the U. S. patent to McBean, 2,979,328. These and other similar proposals, while offering a means of facilitating the tearing or opening of the wrapper and guiding the tear paths to prevent their meeting, offer the serious disadvantages of requiring additional rip strips and/or processing, thereby adding to the cost of packaging the article of merchandise.

The primary object of my invention is to provide an improved wrapper which will be free from the aforementioned and other similar disadvantages inherent in prior art packages.

More particularly, it is an object of my invention to provide an improved wrapper and package which will not require the use of extraneous or foreign rip strips, nor will it require additional processing such as is necessary with prior art packages of the type referred to above.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved wrapped package the wrapper of which may be removed with great ease.

Still another object of my invention is to provide an improved wrapped package the wrapper of which may be easily and quickly separated into two parts adjacent the ends of the package, these parts thereafter being free to he slipped off from the wrapped article with great facility.

It is also an object of my invention to provide an improved moisture proof wrapper of regenerated cellulose, cellulose acetate, or the like which may be snugly wrapped around an article of merchandise and held in place with a tight seal, and yet may be very easily removed therefrom, thereby being highly efficient for the functions intended therefor.

In accordance with my invention, I place the wrapper around the article in the usual manner and tightly seal the marginal portions adjacent a pair of overlapping edges of the wrapper along an area spaced slightly from the edge of the lap. In the marginal providing a pull tab for facilitating initiation of tearing, the tab being suitably marked for easy identification. The two commencing at said cuts or slits will tear when the tab is pulled away from the package will not The novel istic of my invention will be set forth with particularity itself, however, both as to its organization and method of operation, as well as additional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood from the following description of severalembodiments thereof, the accompanying drawing,

Figure 1 shows a package comprising a cigar wrapped in a wrapper according to one form of my invention,

Figure 2 is a. plan view of a wrapping strip, showing the relation of the unwrapped wrapping strip to the cigars,

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1, but showing the central portion of the wrapper torn out, and

Figures 4 and 5 are fragmentary views showing slightly modified forms of wrappers.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout, there is shown,

sheet material, such as Du Pont MST Cellophane, for example, the wrapper 3 being longer than the cigar I and ar ranged so that the grain thereof extends longitudinally of the cigar. The wrapper 3 may be supeach cigar in Each Wrapper 3 is of a width suilicient to surround the cigar with the marginal portions adjacent its longitudinal edges 1 and S overlapping each other, as clearly shown in Figures 1, 3, 4 and 5. These marginal portions are sealed together tightly, either with heat and pressure alone, or with the hesive, along a longitudinally extending area I! of the wrapper are pleated or folded in customary manner and are bent back over the ends of the cigar I where they may also be sealed to the body of the wrapper. When the cigar is so wrapped and sealed, the moisture therein will be prevented from escaping for a considerable period.

The material of which the wrapper is made has the characteristic that a tear therein can be started only with comparatively great difiiculty, but once tearing has started, it will tear quite easily. After tearing has been initiated, if an attempt is made to tear out of the wrapper a transverse portion id beginning at the edge 'I, it will be found that the to rs I3 and IE will follow converging paths toward each site edge position, etc. In all cases, however, the tears I3 and i5 will gradually approach each other. Obviously, if the starting points of the tears I3 and I5 which may be grasped between the fingers. If desired, an auxiliary tab 23, preferably of a color which contrasts with that of the wrapper 3, may be secured to the pull tab 2I to serve as a visible indicator for easily locating the pull tab 2i. The tabs 23 may be applied to the sheet 3a at appropriately spaced points along the marginal portion adjacent the edge 'i' thereof, and the cuts or slits l7 and I9 formed therein as the strip is fed from the roll and in advance of applying the wrapper to the cigar. In any event, it will be obvious that, to remove the wrapper from the cigar, it is merely necessary to take hold of the tab 2! and pull it back, or away from the cigar. he tears l3 and i5 will start very easily at the cuts I7 and I9 and, since the cuts I 7 and 19 are spaced apart a suihcient distance (in the case of a cigar, they may be located from at approximately one-third the length of the cigar), the tears I 3 and I5 will not meet in advance of the edge 9 of the wrapper, but will extend clear across thereto, as shown in Figure 2, so that the transverse portion 3!! will be comand 3 of the wrapper remaining on the cigar, as clearly shown in Figure 3. The end portions 3e and 3 may then be slipped off very easily to expose the whole cigar.

From the foregoing parent that my invention permits using the high ly moisture proof regenerated cellulose to take advantage of its moisture proof and tight sealing qualities, while affording the advantage of easy removal of the wrapper associated with the relatively nonmoisture proof brands of materials, and this without requiring the use of extraneous or foreign rip strips, pleats, appreciably extra processing, etc. the art, it will also be apparent that the invenwrapping pressions. For example, instead of auxiliary indicating tabs 23 to the pull tabs 2I, the latter may be formed with embossing or printing 25, as shown in Figure 4, or it may be applying the Many other changes will, no doubt, readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. Moreover, although I have shown and described my improper wrapper as applied to a cigar, it will be apparent that it is applicable to any article of merchandise which may be wrapped, whether having a moisture content or not, and particularly to such articles from which it may be desired to exclude moisture. Accordingly, I desire that my invention shall not be limited except insofar as is made necessary by the prior art and by the spirit of the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

In combination, a cigar, and a wrapper of moisture-proof, regenerated cellulose sheet material wrapped snugly around said cigar with the grain of said wrapper running longitudinally of said cigar, said regenerated cellulose having the characteristic of tearing along converging paths across the grain thereof when a portion between the ends of said sheet is torn transversely therefrom, the marginal portions of said sheet adjacent its longitudinal edges being in overlapped relation and being sealed to each other along an area spaced slightly from the edge of the upper lap, said wrapper being longer than said cigar and the ends thereof beyond each end of said cigar being folded into overlapping pleats bent back over said cigar and sealed to the body of said wrapper thereby wholly enclosing said cigar to prevent escape of moisture therefrom, and said upper lap having a pair of slits therein extending from the edge thereof a short distance transversely of said wrapper toward but terminating at points short of the inner edge of said sealed area whereby to provide a pull tab between said slits, said slits facilitating initiation of tearing and being spaced apart from each other along said last named edge a distance such that the converging paths of tears therefrom will extend all the way to the other longitudinal edge of said wrapper, whereby the portion of said wrapper lying between and beginning at said slits may be torn out completely from around said cigar thereby leaving the end portions of said wrapper remaining on said cigar free to be slipped off therefrom.

AGOSTINO CLEMEN'IE. 

